


I wanna be yours

by scalira



Series: The Losers Club [2]
Category: IT (2017)
Genre: Halloween AU, M/M, does this take place in the 80s or modern day who knows not me, jealous richie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-10-30
Packaged: 2019-01-26 22:30:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12567628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scalira/pseuds/scalira
Summary: Either Richie and Eddie went to a party with matching costumes or they didn’t go at all.Until this year.(Based on the Tumblr prompt: we always wear couples costumes to Halloween parties but this year you paired up with someone else and I'm weirdly jealous about it and Realizing Feelings)





	I wanna be yours

**Author's Note:**

> This could be seen as a sequel to [Don't kiss me, I'm sick](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12498720) but could just as easily be seen as a stand-alone fic!

Richie Tozier doesn’t necessarily care about a lot of cheesy traditions, but there are some things that are sacred to him. He doesn’t have a lot of consistency in his life, so he clings onto the few things that he considers  _ traditional _ . One of the things he clings onto is the yearly Leap of Faith, when all the losers jump off the quarry cliff during the first day of summer break. They do it every year, no matter the weather.They’ve all gotten sick at least once because Richie insisted on doing it when it was raining, but nobody complains about it (except maybe Eddie, but he complains about everything so he doesn’t really count).

Another important tradition is that they all come over to Bill’s house on December 31st to celebrate the new year together. Bill got sick one year and almost called it off, but they ended up crowding his bedroom and piling onto his bed to play stupid boardgames and try to make Bill laugh so hard it turned into a coughing fit.

And finally, Richie  _ always _ pairs up with Eddie on Halloween to try to win the couples costume competition. It’s not even an official tradition - it’s just been like that since they stopped trick or treating and started going to parties instead. Nobody ever questioned it, nobody ever challenged it. Either Richie and Eddie went to a party with matching costumes or they didn’t go at all.

Until this year.

Eddie asking him if it’s okay if he pairs up with Bill this year feels like a slap in the face. Richie doesn’t want to be a little bitch about it and he certainly doesn’t want to look like he’s  _ jealous _ or anything ridiculous like that, but Eddie still notices the way his face falls. He nudges him gently, but the touch does little to cheer him up. Richie is normally delighted whenever Eddie decides he’s Pure™ enough to touch, but not today.

“We wanna go as Doc and Marty from Back to the Future,” Eddie explains. “You told me you don’t like the movies, so I figured you wouldn’t mind.”

“I don’t,” Richie quickly says, terrified of exposing himself as, in fact,  _ minding very much _ . “It’s cool. Bill makes a better Doc than me anyway; he’s already ugly.”

Eddie stomps him. “Don’t be mean!” Then he grins, mischievous glint in his eyes. “Bill is way uglier than Doc Brown. He’s gonna have to pretty-fy himself to play the part.”

Richie has to fight every fiber in his body to not just lunge forward and kiss Eddie right then and there. He balls his hands into fists, digging his nails into his palms, and forces out a laugh.

“But you’re sure you’re okay with it, right? I mean, Bill asked Stan first but Stan apparently said that he’d rather be caught naked in a ditch drunkenly making out with a rat than to dress up as any character from that ‘weird incest movie’.”

“Woah, really? He said those exact words?”

Eddie shrugs. “Yeah, well. Marty’s mom does get a weird crush on him. It’s one of the movie’s only flaws, but I don’t blame Stan for finding it disturbing.”

“Maybe I can pair up with Stan and dress up as Back to the Future haters,” Richie suggests. The relief in Eddie’s eyes as he smiles feels suspiciously like betrayal.

“Yeah, totally. Channel that hatred and put it into a good cause. Maybe you’ll win!”

Richie wants to tell him he doesn’t want to win anything if he can’t do it with him by his side, but he just bites the inside of his cheek and nods.

***

Richie has had a couple of days to get used to the idea of not meeting up with Eddie right before the party to get dressed together, but it still stings when rides his bike up on Eddie’s driveway and sees him and Bill waiting on his porch in matching costumes. They’re laughing about something together and something ugly and green stirs in Richie’s chest. He forces it down, telling himself that Bill has a boyfriend and would never try something with Eddie, but he still feels miserable as he plants his feet on the ground.

“Hey, ugly motherfuckers!” He yells. Eddie’s head snaps up.

“Shut the fuck up, Richie,” he hisses between clenched jaws, quickly running over to where Richie is standing. “My mom is inside! She’ll whoop your ass if she hears you cursing like that.”

“I’m into that,” Richie replies easily. Eddie groans in disgust.

“One day you’re gonna be inappropriate to the wrong person and you won’t be able to joke yourself out of it,” he warns. Richie raises his eyebrows in provocation.

“is that a challenge?” He asks. Eddie looks like he’s considering homicide, but luckily Bill steps in before he can find something to strangle Richie with.

“Billiam!” Richie greets, a bit too cheerily even to his own ears. His smile feels fake on his lips, but Bill doesn’t seem to notice. “You look disgustingly old.”

“Thanks, Richard,” Bill says, patting his white lab coat. His white wig is a bit askew on his head, but Richie doesn’t say anything.

“So, has Stan seen you like this yet?”

“No, why?”

“I figure he’ll develop instant erectile dysfunction when he does,” Richie grins.

“I should hope so,” Bill immediately replies. “If he gets horny seeing me dressed up as an old man, I’m breaking up with him.”

That makes Richie laugh. He kinda hopes Stan  _ does _ end up getting a weird boner over Bill’s costume, but he doesn’t want them to break up over it. It would just be funny to bully him with it.

As if summoned, Stan rides up the driveway. He stops next to Richie and eyes Bill up and down before making a face.

“You look disgusting,” he deadpans.

“Aw, babe, that’s so sweet,” Bill replies dryly. He tries to sling his arms around Stan’s neck, but Stan bends his body away from him.

“Don’t. Do not try to kiss me, it’s creeping me out.”

Bill makes a kissing sound at him and Stan gags, but can barely hide his smile.

“Why do you have a problem with me dressing up as good ol’ Doc Brown when Richie is dressed up as Dr. Frank N. Furter from the Rocky Horror Picture Show?” Bill complains when Stan jumps off his bike in order to avoid his touches and hides behind Richie.

Stan gestures at Richie’s slender body dressed in black stilettos, thigh high fishnets, black booty shorts, a black lace corset and a pin-covered leather jacket. 

“Uh, because he’s hot?” He points out. 

Richie innocently bats his thick fake eyelashes at Bill. Beverly helped him with his makeup earlier before running off to her girlfriend’s house to get ready together.

“Aw, Stanny boy!” He purrs. He drapes his arms over Stan’s shoulders, and Stan allows them to stay there for exactly three seconds before he squirms and steps out of his reach. “I’m really flattered, but I’m taken.”

“So is he, dick,” Bill says at the same time Eddie exclaims, “by who?” Voice unusually high-pitched. 

Richie smiles at Eddie. “Your mom,” he says.

“ _ God _ ,” Eddie groans. He looks up at the night sky as if praying for some lightning to strike Richie, but when it doesn’t come he just takes his bike and mounts it.

“Let’s just meet the others at the party before I get arrested for attempted murder,” he sighs.

***

Beverly, Drew, Ben and Mike are already waiting at the party when the others arrive. Bev and her girlfriend Drew are dressed as Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn respectively, while Ben and Mike are dressed as Bob Ross and Happy Little Tree, which makes Richie laugh so hard he almost smudges his makeup. Bev shoots out her hands and skillfully wipes away his tears without ruining his eyeliner.

“That’s fucking amazing,” Richie hiccups, only briefly looking at Mike and Ben before looking away again because he doesn’t want to burst out laughing again. “If you two don’t win I’m gonna burn the building to the ground.”

“It was all Mike’s idea,” Ben smiles warmly. 

“Hell yeah, that’s why I got to dress up as Bob Ross and Benny had to dress up as the tree,” Mike grins. He holds up his paintbrush and boops Ben’s nose with it. Then he looks at Stan. “And who are you supposed to be?”

Stan makes an offended sound at the back of his throat, linking his arm with Richie’s.

“I’m Brad Majors, you uncultured swine!”

Mike raises his eyebrows. “Who?”

“Are you fucking with us?” Eddie says.

“Leave him alone,” Ben says, taking Mike’s hand. “He’s a baby gay; he hasn’t seen Rocky Horror yet.”

Richie shakes his head. “Such a disgrace,” he tuts. “People should be forced to watch Rocky Horror when they decide to live the gay life. It’s part of our culture.”

Mike rolls his eyes and looks at Ben. “Can I come over and watch it with you tomorrow?”

“Sure you can,” Ben beams. His smile is so bright Richie almost feels like he should look away.

“Now that’s settled, can we go inside? My balls are freezing off,” Eddie says.

“Aw, and they haven’t had the chance to drop yet,” Stan says. Eddie flips him off and grabs Bill’s hand.

“I’m stealing your boyfriend for that, Stanley.”

“You can have him for tonight,” Stan shrugs. “Just give him back once he’s changed out of the Doc costume.”

“Can’t make promises I don’t know I can keep,” Eddie smiles innocently, and then he drags a blushing Bill inside.

Richie looks at Stan, hoping to catch him looking as jealous as he feels, but there’s an amused smile dancing on his lips. Damnit. He would’ve felt better about his own green monster if Stan had shared the sentiment, but it looks like Richie will be the only miserable asshole tonight.

Great.

***

Richie gets a lot of attention with his costume. He catches some girls (and one guy, though he tries his hardest to hide it) staring at his ass and others start whispering when he walks past them to get drinks. Richie purposely holds his head high and walks with his shoulders pushed back, taking long, proud strides in his high heels. Halloween is the only night he can dress as androgynous and inappropriately as he wants without making himself a target.

Some random dude says something to his friend about Richie looking ‘fucking queer’ in that costume, which Richie takes as a compliment. He makes a whole scene out of walking past them, hips swaying, which earns him a couple of wolf whistles. When he turns around to see who whistled at him he catches Eddie grinning at him. Richie turns around to hide his blush, but his cheeks hurt from smiling so widely.

Eddie and Bill appear to be the most popular couple of the night. Everyone wants to take pictures with them and everyone thinks they’re adorable. Richie drinks his beer in silence, occasionally grumbling into the liquid. Sure, Eddie  _ does _ look painfully cute in his Marty McFly costume. And they  _ do _ look really good together. And Richie isn’t jealous of the attention they’re getting. It’s just that something twists in the pit of his stomach whenever Eddie casually touches Bill’s arm or whenever Bill puts a hand on the small of Eddie’s back. 

He can’t stand it anymore when Bill throws an arm around Eddie’s shoulders and Eddie leans against his side, relaxed smile on his face. Eddie is almost never relaxed when someone crowds him with their body like that. He normally only allows Richie to do it.

Richie puts his beer away and beelines to the exit, immediately sinking down onto the curb once outside and taking out his pack of cigarettes.

He smokes two cigarettes before Stan joins him. Richie looks up to him and holds up his hand to offer him a half smoked cigarette, but Stan declines.

“Gross,” he says as he sinks down onto the curb too.

“I share cigarettes with Bill all the time,” Richie counters. “So you’re technically kissing me whenever you’re kissing him.”

“You wish,” Stan says.

“Oh, I do,” Richie sighs dramatically. He puts his head on Stan’s shoulder and grabs his hand. “Oh, Stanley. How I yearn for thee! Every night I am not with you is a night lived in torture!”

Stan pulls his hand out of Richie’s, but allows his head to stay on his shoulder.

“You’re so dramatic.”

“Yeah, well. Gotta live up to the costume.”

They sit together in silence for a while, Stan looking up at the night sky while Richie finishes his cigarette. He flicks it away once it’s burned to a stub and Stan makes a move to get up, but Richie takes his hand again and pulls him back down.

“Aren’t you going back inside?” Stan asks.

“Not yet.”

“Why not? You’re getting a lot of attention. I thought you liked that.”

Richie shrugs and looks at his hands. He’s already longing for another cigarette, but he just smoked his last one.

Stan nudges him. “What’s up, Richie? Something upset you? Did anyone give you shit for your costume?”

“No, it’s not that,” Richie sighs. He puts his hands behind him and leans back on them, staring up at the stars. 

“Aren’t you jealous?” He blurts after another long silence.

“Jealous?” Stan repeats.

“Yeah. Of Eddie. That he paired up with Bill this year.”

Stan snorts. “ _ No _ . Definitely not. I wasn’t about to dress up as Marty Mcfuckingfly, no matter how much I love Bill.”

“Yeah, but like… doesn’t it piss you off that you normally always pair up with Bill? And now he’s having fun with Eddie and everyone thinks they’re totally adorable and they look really happy with each other and -”

“ _ Richie _ ,” Stan interrupts. “Calm down before you spiral. We’re not talking about Bill, are we?”

Richie groans in frustration.

“No, we’re not,” he confesses. “It’s just… Eddie and I  _ always _ pair up together. But now he’s with Bill and they look really good together - better than we ever looked together. So what if Bill is… I don’t know… a better fit for him? What if Eddie realizes he’s better off without me and this is just the first step in ditching me all together? What if he doesn’t want me anymore, or what if he likes Bill more?” He presses the palms of his hands against his eyes, trying to push back the frustrated tears. He hadn’t even thought about that until he said it out loud: what if this is just Eddie’s first step to replacing him completely?

“Eddie is not replacing you, Rich,” Stan says, putting a comforting hand on his back. “He just paired up with Bill because they’re both Back to the Future nerds, and their costumes technically can’t even be considered  _ couple costumes _ .” He scoffs. “Back to the Future is weird enough as it is; we  _ do not _ need a weird romantic Docmarty side plot.” 

Richie chuckles despite himself. Stan makes a good point, but it’s not quite enough to put his mind at ease.

“Yeah, but still,” he says. “You have the… security, I guess. You know Bill loves you. Hell, you’ve been dating for a year and you’re probably planning your wedding already. I don’t know how Eddie feels about me, and that insecurity is driving me insane.”

He realizes what he just said way too late. Stan’s eyebrows rise so highly they almost disappear into his hairline.

“Richard Benedict Tozier,” he starts, the biggest grin Richie has ever seen plastered over his face, “are you telling me you’re jealous of Bill taking your place because you think he’s gonna  _ steal your man _ ?”

“No!” Richie says. “I know he’s not gonna steal my man because he’ll never do that to you, but Eddie might realize that Bill is way better than me in every aspect and have his heart stolen by him.”

“All I’m hearing is that you’re not denying Eddie is your man.”

Richie groans and throws his hands up in frustration.

“Fine! Yes, I’m jealous because I don’t like sharing Eddie and I would prefer to have him all to myself and be able to hold his hand and kiss his dumb face and be cute and clingy like you and Bill or Ben and Mike. There, is that what you wanted to hear?”

Stan’s grin is blinding. “Oh, this is  _ fantastic _ . You have to talk to him. Like, right now.”

“Okay, why?”

“Because you’re an  _ idiot _ , Tozier.”

Richie narrows his eyes at him. “Do you know something I don’t?”

“I do, all the time. But that’s not the point. My point is that I’m gonna go find my boyfriend now and force him out of that awful wig to make out with him in peace for a while, so Eddie will be alone and easy to talk to. You should probably do something with that information.”

“How very cryptic of you,” Richie mutters. Stan slaps him on the shoulder in an attempt to be comforting and gets up.

“Go. Find. Eddie,” he says, pointing his finger at him with every word. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have an ugly wig to snatch.” And with that, he promptly marches back into the building.

Richie stays out a bit longer, thinking about what he could possibly say to Eddie to avoid looking like a fool, and eventually goes back inside too.

***

Eddie has blended back in with their group now that Bill is missing from his side. He doesn’t even look like he’s wearing a costume anymore, and it suddenly makes sense to Richie why he had to be around Bill the entire night; without Doc Brown, Marty McFly’s costume just looks like every average person’s.

“Hey,” he says once he made it to the others. Everyone has to look up slightly to look him in the eye, and that somehow gives Richie great satisfaction. He’s tall  _ without _ the heels, but now he’s just towering over everyone. It’s a real power trip. “Eds, can I talk to you for a sec?”

“Don’t call me Eds,” Eddie says automatically, but he does follow Richie back outside. Richie walks around the building to the parking lot, where there are no people having a smoke or talking. He leans against the wall, slouching until he’s more or less on eye level with Eddie.

“What’s up?” Eddie asks, putting his hands in the pockets of his bodywarmer. 

“Uh,” Richie starts, but he doesn’t know how to continue. His fingers itch for a cigarette to hold. Eddie notices his nervous fidgeting and reaches out to hold Richie’s hand in his own. Eddie’s fingers are cold on his skin.

“Why are you nervous? Is everything okay?”

“I’m not nervous,” Richie counters.

“Your hand is sweaty and you’re chewing your lip,” Eddie points out. Damn it, why does he know him so well?

“Okay, fine,” he admits. “Maybe I’m a bit nervous.”

“Why?”

“Because... “ Richie takes a deep breath. “Because I need to tell you something and I don’t know how you’ll react.”

Eddie frowns.

“You aren’t actually dating my mom, right?” He tries to joke. Though Richie would normally never miss an opportunity to make a mom joke, he’s too nervous to make one now.

“No, no. I just, uh. I haven’t been totally honest with you.”

“What do you mean, Rich?”

Richie looks away from Eddie’s dark eyes, hoping that’ll make his confession a bit easier to get past his lips.

“About the costumes. I actually do mind that you paired up with Bill this year.”

“Really? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I didn’t… I didn’t want to look  _ jealous _ . But I am, Eds. I’m really jealous.”

Eddie looks confused, but he’s still holding Richie’s hand. Richie takes that as a good sign.

“Jealous of what?” Eddie asks.

“I don’t know. Of Bill, I guess. I know it sounds stupid, but seeing you pair up with him just… it made me realize that I don’t want to share you, Eddie. Not on Halloween, not ever. I want you to myself. I want you,  _ period _ .”

Eddie’s hand goes limp in Richie’s grip, but he doesn’t let it slide out of his hand. His lips part, then close again, then part again.

“You  _ want _ me?” Eddie eventually asks, voice soft.

Richie doesn’t trust his voice, scared it’ll shake or break or sound weird, so he just nods.

He’d expected Eddie to do a lot of things. He’d expected him to pull away and run back to the party, never to speak to Richie again; he’d expected him to laugh awkwardly and brush it off as a joke, he’d even expected him to pull up his nose in disgust. What he  _ hadn’t _ expected was Eddie grabbing Richie by the collar of his jacket and pulling him down for a kiss.

But that’s exactly what happens.

Their first kiss is far from perfect. The angle isn’t right, and Richie’s mouth is dry, and Eddie’s hands are too cold in his neck. But none of that matters. What matters is that Richie’s hands sit comfortably on Eddie’s hipbones, and that Eddie hums approvingly in the back of his throat, and that he tastes like toothpaste and candy. What matters is that Eddie presses himself against Richie, and that he lets his hands slide up until his fingers tangle into Richie’s curls, and that in their imperfect first kiss, Richie still finds perfection.

They stay out in the cold like that until their noses turn numb. Eddie guides them back to the party, not letting go off Richie’s hand once they’re back inside.

They’re just on time to witness Mike and Ben win best couples costume. Stan and Bill are standing to the side, Bill’s wig having disappeared from his head and his lab coat on inside out. When Stan catches his gaze and notices Richie and Eddie holding hands, he holds up his thumb in approval and smiles.

Richie rolls his eyes and flips him off, but he couldn’t wipe the dopey grin off his face even if he tried.

**Author's Note:**

> If you like my writing, you can always send me prompts at hopelessfountainkinkdom on tumblr!


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